Facebook declined to comment but drew attention to recent announcements about what it is doing to limit access to its platform for groups supporting violence and its efforts to secure the U.S. election in November.
With 188 million followers, Kardashian West is one of the most influential people on Instagram and support for him and other big names for the boycott saw a slide in Facebook shares in late-late trading on Tuesday. They were down 1.7% before the market opened on Wednesday.
Organizers behind the “#stophatforprofit”, including civil rights groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, NAACP and Color of Change, had earlier led a campaign that found hundreds of brands and nonprofits to join the Facebook ad boycott in July.
About two dozen Hollywood stars and celebrity influencers who supported the campaign include Ashton Kutcher, Mark Raffaello, Carrie and Washington Washington, Rosario D’Son, Jamie Foxx and the true Baron Cohen.
DiCaprio said he is on the call with civil rights groups. “All users of Instagram and Facebook protested against the declaration of hatred, racism and democracy on that platform.”
Facebook, which earned about $ 70 billion in advertising revenue last year, is being touted by critics as an indefinite excuse for divisive, hateful and misleading information on its platform.
“We are rapidly approaching one of the most fruitful elections in American history. Facebook’s unchecked and vague ‘changes’ are dangerously diminishing what is needed to save our democracy,” the organizers said.
The movement was also launched last month to criticize Facebook’s handling of content online before the Cannes Shaw, Wisconsin shooting. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company made the mistake of not removing a page with a military group calling for armed civilians to enter the city soon. It was only after he turned the page that two people were killed by an armed teenager named Jacob Blake by police firing.
